Protesters call on Garut district chief to resign after he divorces teenager by text four days after their marriage
Indonesian protesters burn and stamp on portraits of district chief Aceng Fikri during a demonstration in Garut, West Java. Photograph: Associated Press
Hundreds of Indonesians joined a protest demanding a district chief's resignation after revelations of his text-message divorce to a teenage girl four days after their marriage sparked public outrage.
Aceng Fikri, chief of Garut district in West Java province, took 17-year-old Fani Oktora as his second wife in July. But Fikri, 40, quickly divorced her via a short text message, alleging Oktora was not a virgin when they married. He said he spent about $26,000 (£16,000) on the wedding.
Students and rights activists in Garut spat and trampled on pictures of Fikri on Tuesday before burning them outside the local council building.
It was the second consecutive day of protests against Fikri, whose case came into the spotlight last week after a picture of the couple was posted online. On Monday dozens of people rallied outside his house and the council building.
The local council has issued a recommendation for Fikri's dismissal, but the process will have to wait for a verdict by the supreme court.
Oktora, accompanied by her lawyers, filed a complaint with police on Tuesday, accusing Fikri of domestic violence by holding her captive after the wedding and fraudulence for declaring that he was a widower.
A lawyer representing Fikri said he would file a complaint of defamation against Oktora, who he said had signed an agreement saying she would not complain about the marriage.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has reportedly discussed the case with the West Java governor, Ahmad Heryawan, during a visit to the province.
Some Muslims adhere to a tradition that allows men to end a marriage by telling their wife they want a divorce. However, divorce by text message is uncommon in moderate Indonesia.
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